Chapter 161

The water goddess was shocked when she felt the 'Blueprint of the Gods'.

She was a water goddess born from human faith. After her birth, she acquired the artifact known as the "Snow Spear", which granted her the power to control lake waters and weather.

Could it be that her blessings upon the village by the lake for so many years, her devotion to protecting it, had earned her recognition from the Lord of Heaven as a reserve member of the High God of Heaven?

Before this, she knew nothing about the gods, except for the myths and legends told by villagers and merchants from around the lake. Now, having become a 'Gaotian Zhengshen Reserve', she could learn a great deal about the gods from the 'Blueprint of the Gods'.

She was now a 'Noragami'. As long as she continued to protect the lakeside village and performed enough good deeds, she could eventually become a fourth-level 'subordinate god'.

The water goddess knelt sincerely to the sky, saying, "Thank you, Lord God of Heaven, for your immense grace."

---

At the same time, King Douya left Jilu City and traveled non-stop to find his friends and establish an "initial contract" with the monsters he considered friendly.

His friend 'Bao Xiangui' quickly agreed, and with just a few words, signed the 'initial contract' with King Douya. The monsters that followed Bao Xiangui also signed the contract immediately after seeing their leader sign it.

Bao Xiangui looked at the shattered diamonds on his body, which King Douya had effortlessly cut. The skull's eyes flashed red. "Is this the 'immortal power'? No wonder King Douya chose to surrender to the gods..."

His body was made of diamond, the hardest stone in the world, yet it was sliced apart like soft clay. He had no doubt that if he had refused, King Douya would have cut his head in half.

King Douya slowly sheathed the 'Blade of Teeth' and said in a domineering manner, "I am no longer who I used to be. Now, I am an orthodox immortal, a great demon who has surrendered. The emperor will grant immortal power in time..."

Before he finished speaking, King Douya's commanding expression froze, and his whole body began to tremble with joy, his face transforming with excitement as if he were turning into a giant dog.

The 'Blueprint of the Gods' appeared in his mind, and a torrent of knowledge about the gods flowed into his memory.

"Haha, hahahaha, I didn't expect it to happen so quickly! Is this the group of gods that only those who have entered the High Heavens can join?"

King Douya's face was flushed with excitement.

He had just become an 'immortal', but only those with the potential to become a true god could enter the 'group of gods'.

In other words, he was qualified to become a god!

Moreover, the 'gods' had a clear promotion path, from the lowest 'Noragami' to the highest 'Supreme God'. As long as one's contributions to the 'divine line' met the necessary requirements, anyone could ascend.

"So many great gods... Apart from the greatest ones, there's only one fox spirit among the gods, and none among the subordinate gods."

King Douya gazed in awe at the thrones on the first and second rings of the 'Blueprint of the Gods', finally looking at the 'Supreme Creator' god in the center, his heart full of reverence.

'The Lord of Heaven', 'Heavenly Principle', and 'Eternal Throne'—even the world itself was created by this Supreme Creator.

At that moment, King Douya felt what it was like to be part of "the system".

Now, as he looked at his friend Bao Xiangui and the other great demons, they all appeared as mere country bumpkins.

The third and fourth rings of the 'Blueprint of the Gods' were empty.

What did this mean? It meant that in the future, one of those high heavenly thrones would belong to him, King Douya.

What kind of demon was he, King Douya... What kind of immortal was he? The 'Emperor Yanwang Dijunzun' had personally granted him 'immortal power'. In the future, he would become a God of Gaotian, and also a god under Yanwang Dijunzun.

Bao Xiangui noticed the contempt in King Douya's eyes but wasn't angry. After all, King Douya had grown too powerful.

Now, Bao Xiangui only wished to become a subordinate of the 'Emperor Rock King', practice 'immortal power', and then spar with King Douya. How could that brat scorn him now?

King Douya raised his head and spoke dominantly, "Bao Xiangui, come with me now to conquer those big monsters worthy of conquest."

"The Dragon Bone Spirit nearby, Pu Xianweng in the thousand-year forest, Ojomaru of the Hundred Ghost Bat Clan, the death spirit dwelling on the boundary of the underworld, and finally, the Nura group—famous in the East."

"There are also a group of great monsters from Rakashudong who follow Nue, the master of demons."

"And the eighty-eight ghosts of the Shikoku region, as well as the great yōkai Hidden God Tortoise that roams at night."

"There are also many yōkai from the yōkai village in the Tono area, the birthplace of yōkai.

"Let me think..."

Bao Xiangui was stunned. "King Douya, do you intend to defeat so many great monsters and even organizations more powerful than the Western Kingdom all by yourself?"

King Douya responded confidently, "Of course. I am an 'immortal' now."

Helping the emperor subdue so many great monsters and bringing them under the rule of 'Liyue' should surely earn him a fourth-class righteous god title, right?

He was already immensely powerful as an immortal, but how powerful would he be if he became a true god?

With that thought, King Douya couldn't wait any longer. He grabbed Bao Xiangui by the skull and flew towards the nearest great monster, the Dragon Bone Spirit.

"Wait... I can fly! King Douya, please don't grab my head!"

---

Half a day later.

Rumble, rumble, rumble—

Thunderous demonic energy bombs were continuously spat out from the mouth of a massive demonic dragon with a grimace on its forehead. The land struck by the demon's lightning was left with craters a hundred meters across. The top of a stone mountain was repeatedly bombarded until it collapsed; even a thousand-meter-high mountain crumbled under the assault.

"King Douya! You mangy dog!"

The 'Blade of Teeth' in King Douya's hand easily deflected the 'Thunder Balls' that kept firing at him. "Dragon Bone Demon, if you do not surrender today, I will beat you until you do! Then you will obediently sign His Majesty the Emperor's contract!"

In King Douya's eyes, the Dragon Bone Spirit was just another stepping stone to becoming a 'righteous god'.

Rumble, rumble, rumble...

After less than two rounds of battle, the Dragon Bone Demon was knocked to the ground by King Douya and thrown around like a loach from ten Song Dynasties.

It wasn't long before the tough-talking Dragon Bone Spirit finally caved.

"I surrender, King Douya! I truly surrender! I will sign the contract, I submit to God Gaotian!"

King Douya tossed the Dragon Bone Spirit aside like a loach. "Let's go, Bao Xiangui. Pu Xianweng is next."

---

While King Douya was subduing monsters of all sizes for 'Liyue', news about the "initial contract" spread among all the yōkai forces and human onmyoji families who were always monitoring the gods' activities.

Word of the 'Rock King Lord's Grand God' aiming to restore order in the world soon spread across both the monster and human realms.

Both yōkai and humans began to take action, driven by different motives.

Particularly, Hidemoto, the current head of the Onmyoji Hanakain family in Kyoto—known as the strongest onmyoji—led a group of onmyojis to the 'land where the gods descend'.